Photo EPA/ITAR-TASS

VILNIUS, October 9 (Itar-Tass) - Refusal of the US-based energy company Chevron to explore for shale gas in Lithuania delays the Baltic country’s prospects for energy independence, Lithuania President Dalja Gribauskajte told reporters on Wednesday.

“The country’s natural wealth will not disappear, but this delays our energy independence,” she said, adding that Chevron’s participation in the development of Lithuania’s potential shale deposits was “a strategically important energy project, vital for its energy independence.” “Unfortunately, this project was questioned.”

Lithuania’s Green Party considers Chevron’s withdrawal from Lithuania’s shale gas tender a tactical maneuver. The party’s leader, Linas Balsis, believes that the U.S. company “may use a different plan and continue geological surveying and even develop hydrocarbons through Lithuania’s companies.”

On Tuesday, Chevron pulled out after winning a tender to explore for shale gas in Lithuania, blaming changes to laws on hydrocarbon development. The U.S. major’s shale gas plans in the Baltic state evoked large-scale protests among residents of the regions, where Chevron was set to start geological surveys.